Spoon



c. M. WELCH' June 4, 1946.

SPOON Filed Aug; 4, 1944 INVENTOR. Ctarencz M, Walsh Patented June 4, 1946 SPOON Clarence M. Welch, Milford, Del., assignor to John H. Mulholland 00., Milford, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application August 4, 1944, Serial No. 548,078

4 Claims. 1

My invention is an improved wooden spoon primarily characterized by increased strength, freedom from warping and splitting, smoothness of edges, and ease of packaging, dispensing and handling. My improved spoon may be firmly held and promotes sanitation in the use thereof and is of a novel and pleasing appearance.

In its preferred embodiment, my improved spoon consists of a fiat, relatively thin, piece or strip of wood cut by a die from a ribbon of veneer and which is symmetrical about both longitudinal and transverse center lines. It preferably has a cross-grain edge substantially throughout its perimeter. The edge of the strip preferably comprises reverse curves forming a relatively broad, flat, bowl at each end connected by a narrow neck. No greater amount of wood is required in making my spoon than in making an ordinary wooden spoon and there is less waste in cutting out my spoon than the usual type wooden spoon.

Spoons so formed may be stacked in the magazine of a feeding or vending machine without the necessity for sorting the spoons end for end, side for side, or for top and bottom. The avoidance of warping in my improved spoon eliminates the clogging of dispensing machines and permits the discharge of the spoons one by one without sticking. When spoons are delivered from such magazine to a wrapping strip, the latter may be folded on the spoons uniformly so that the spoons are centered in the wrapper throughout their lengths.

The characteristic features and advantages of my invention will further appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing in illustration thereof.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective, somewhat diagrammatic View, illustrating the deposition of my improved spoons from a dispensing machine to a wrapping strip; Fig. 2 is a plan view; and Fig. 3 is an edge view of my improved spoon; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a strip of wrapped spoons; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 diametrically illustrates the broad and firm grip with which the spoon may be grasped in digging into packaged ice cream.

As illustrated in the drawing, my improved spoon consists of a thin, flat piece of wood I having at each end thereof symmerical convexly curved converging edges 2, 3' and 2, 3' forming symmetrical flat pointed bowls 4, 4. Between the bowls 4, 4', the edges of the blank are symmetrically out to form concave edges 5, 5' respectively intersecting the curves of the edges 2, 2' and 3, 3 and defining a median neck 6.

The spoons are preferably cut from a ribbon of veneer having its grain extending longitudinally of the spoons and all or the curved edges are cut across the grain of the wood so that the tendency thereof to split or splinter is minimized.

The symmetrical contour of the spoon on both longitudinal and transverse center lines and the gradual curvature of the perimeter tend to equalize stresses and minimize warping or breakage.

Spoons so made may be gathered at random and stacked without the necessity of sorting end for end, side for side, or for tops and bottoms, and directly packaged or placed in an appropriately shaped magazine A, as in Fig. l, for enclosure in strips. The stacked spoons may be fed one by one by gravity or an automatic feeder (not shown) from the magazine onto a traveling paper strip B, which is then folded over the tops of the spoons and-the edges of the strip secured by an adhesive. Both bowls of the spoon are engaged by the tubular wrapper so that the spoons are held rectilineally in the fiat tube formed by the wrapper and prevented from slipping therein or interfering with the folding of the tube between spoons.

The spoons may be individually dispensed by tearing the wrapper between spoons. During or after stripping the wrapper from a spoon, either bowl may be used as a handle and the other bowl used to dig into or dispense ice cream or the like from a container C, as illustrated, for instance, in Fig. 6. The upper bowl provides a broad bearing surface for the thumb and fingers for transmitting thrust through the rugged neck to the lower bowl inserted in the ice cream.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A spoon having symmetrical flat members of spatular shape at the ends thereof connected by a symmetrical neck of less width than, and of minimum width midway between said members, said spoon being symmetrical about its transverse center line across the width of the neck.

2. A spoon composed of a strip of wood having a grain, substantially the entire periphery of the spoon being formed by three pairs of symmetrical curves cut across the grain of the wood.

3. A spoon composed of a strip of wood having a grain extending lengthwise of the spoon and having symmetrical flat members of spatular shape at the ends thereof and connected by a neck, said members and neck being bounded by three symmetrical pairs of curves cutting across the grain of the wood.

4. A spoon comprising a thin flat strip having convexly curved converging ends forming symmetrical flat members of spatular shape and a neck between said ends having symmetrical edges concavely curved and intersecting the curves of said members, said spoon being symmetrical about its transverse center line across the width of its neck.

CLARENCE M. WEI-SCH. 

